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Meet Linda Ford of FirstLight HomeCare of Sun City

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Linda Ford.

Linda, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was at the pinnacle of my career at USA Today but was ready for a new challenge. I was researching options within and beyond the media industry but nothing was really grabbing me. About that time, my dad & stepmom were in a horrible car accident. I found myself in need of home care for them but was very unsatisfied with my experience finding compassionate care. I’m a bit of a Pollyanna, finding the silver lining in nearly every cloud so, I saw the accident as a sign. Three months later I left my 20-year career and USA Today behind and opened FirstLight Home Care.

Leaving my successful career at a Fortune 500 company and becoming an entrepreneur was a very intimidating concept. Regardless, I am so grateful I made the tough decision! As the owner, I could hire caregivers who shared my vision for truly compassionate care. Five years later, I have a team of folks who have a shared vision of extraordinary care. Further, FirstLight is engaged in our community. We have created over 35 jobs, contributed to local non-profits and, in particular, love to serve our Veterans!

We have been honored to serve Veteran clients from WWII through Vietnam. We provide peace of mind to families who live across the country. Whether we are with them a little or a lot, our clients get that extra help from someone who respects their independence. Plus, my clients have taught me so much!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There are always struggles – in any business. In my case, I had to quickly learn a whole new industry; medical terminology and protocols, caregiver traits and habits versus corporate employee styles, etc. I had to establish rapport with an entirely new professional community. In the end, though, it always came back to the vision… providing compassionate care. That helped keep me, and my team, stay on course even though the occasional storm.

Most recently, this past year, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. My team was amazing and I got an up-close and personal reminder of the impact of our services on our beloved clients.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Technically speaking, home care companies provide companionship and/or assistance with “activities of daily living.” In simple English, we just help people do what they want to do… safely. That means we help folks with bathing & hygiene, driving errands, getting to appointments, light housecleaning, cooking and ensuring medications are taken properly. For example, one of our very special clients (they’re ALL special) was a widower and retired Air Force airman who loved photography.

Day-to-day we helped him manage his diabetes, encouraged activity, took him to many doctor appointments, and watched his favorite “guy” movies. One extraordinary day we surprised him with a road trip! We took him down to Tucson (about 100 miles) to the air and space museum. He showed his caregiver the types of planes he used to work on and took pictures, lots of pictures.

It was a truly special day for that client, his caregiver, and his family who were just as excited as he was at the end of his special day in particular, for people who don’t have family nearby, we become the extended family who also happens to be trained and particularly qualified to physically assist in a manner that reduces the risk of a fall or injury. I often recite Benjamin Franklin’s saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” I like to share with our new clients, “FirstLight is the ounce of prevention – it’s our job to make sure you are safe and prevent a trip to the hospital.”

What were you like growing up?
I’ve never been much of an introvert. Growing up we moved a lot. Across town, across the country; not due to a military transfer or even a job transfer – my mom just liked to change things up. Too bad we didn’t have Facebook back then; I’ve lost touch with so many wonderful childhood friends.

I often joke that I learned U.S. geography first-hand! All the moving, though, made me a perfect fit for the corporate life I eventually went into. With every promotion, there was a move to a new place. This also created independence and a taste for adventure; two things that brought me down the entrepreneur road.

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